---
title: "What the sources say about the Red King Crab | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "40 claims from the Red King Crab profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Red King Crab (*Paralithodes camtschaticus*)

> 40 claims from the Red King Crab profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Red King Crab](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/red-king-crab/)

## Red King Crab. NOAA Fisheries.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/red-king-crab

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A spiny crab that can reach 24 pounds and a 5-foot leg span, and can only grow by shedding its shell. | They range in color from brownish to bluish red and are covered in sharp spines. ... Red king crabs can grow to be very large, up to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet. ... Red king crabs can only grow by molting (shedding their old shell and growing a new one) (note: tagline) |
| Continental shelf seabed from the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands to British Columbia, typically less than 650 feet deep | red king crabs are found in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska, and south to British Columbia, Canada. ... Mature animals move into deeper water (typically less than 650 feet along the continental shelf) to feed (note: stats.habitat) |
| Almost anything it can find and crush, from worms and clams to crabs, fish and sea stars | Red king crabs eat almost anything they can find and crush with their claws. ... Larger crabs eat a much wider range of items including worms, clams, mussels, barnacles, crabs, fish, sea stars, sand dollars, and brittle stars. (note: stats.diet) |
| Young crabs travel in pods of tens of thousands | Older juveniles form pods that travel together, mounding up during the day and feeding at night. Pods can consist of tens of thousands of individual crabs (note: stats.superpower) |
| Juveniles under 2 years old live in shallow, cluttered seabed to avoid being preyed on by fish and other crabs | Juveniles less than 2 years old live in shallow waters in complex habitats, such as shell hash, cobble, algae, and bryozoans (branching, coral-like invertebrates) to avoid being preyed upon by fish and other crabs. |
| Think shell hash, cobble, algae and bryozoans, which are branching, coral-like animals | such as shell hash, cobble, algae, and bryozoans (branching, coral-like invertebrates) |
| Older juveniles form pods that travel together. They mound up during the day and feed at night | Older juveniles form pods that travel together, mounding up during the day and feeding at night. |
| Pods can hold tens of thousands of crabs. They are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish. | Pods can consist of tens of thousands of individual crabs and are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish. |
| Pods can hold tens of thousands of crabs. They are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish | Pods can consist of tens of thousands of individual crabs and are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish. |
| Mature crabs move into deeper water, typically less than 650 feet along the continental shelf, to feed | Mature animals move into deeper water (typically less than 650 feet along the continental shelf) to feed |
| Females come back to the shallows to hatch their eggs | the females return to shallow waters to hatch their eggs. |
| This is the largest of the commercially harvested crabs | Red king crabs are the largest of the commercially harvested crabs. |
| It grows up to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet, and males grow faster and larger than females | Red king crabs can grow to be very large, up to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet. Males grow faster and larger than females. |
| Its body is brownish to bluish red and covered in sharp spines | They range in color from brownish to bluish red and are covered in sharp spines. |
| The claws are different shapes. One is large and heavy-duty, for crushing prey. The smaller one handles food more delicately. | One is a large, heavy-duty claw that is used for crushing prey, and the other smaller claw is used for more delicate handling of food items. |
| A red king crab can only grow by molting (shedding its old shell and growing a new one) | Red king crabs can only grow by molting (shedding their old shell and growing a new one). |
| Until the new shell hardens, the crab is soft and vulnerable to predators | After molting they are soft and vulnerable to predators until their new shell hardens. |
| Large crabs have few predators except right after a molt | Large red king crabs have few predators except right after molting. |
| The crab eats almost anything it can find and crush with its claws | Red king crabs eat almost anything they can find and crush with their claws. |
| Bigger crabs go for worms, clams, mussels, barnacles, other crabs, fish, sea stars, sand dollars and brittle stars | Larger crabs eat a much wider range of items including worms, clams, mussels, barnacles, crabs, fish, sea stars, sand dollars, and brittle stars. |
| Females breed once a year and release 50,000 to 500,000 eggs, and the larvae hatch looking like tiny shrimp | Female red king crabs reproduce once a year and release between 50,000 and 500,000 eggs. Larvae hatch from eggs looking like tiny shrimp. |
| In North American waters, this crab lives in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, along the Gulf of Alaska and south to British Columbia | In North American waters, red king crabs are found in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, along the coast of the Gulf of Alaska, and south to British Columbia, Canada. |
| Managers use the "three S's": size, sex and season | The red king crab fishery is currently managed according to the “three S’s”—size, sex, and season. |
| In the 2025 stock assessment, the Bristol Bay stock was not overfished | The Bristol Bay stock is not overfished (2025 stock assessment) |
| the fishery was closed for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 seasons because of a low abundance of mature females | Fishing for the Bristol Bay stock was closed for the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 fishing seasons because of a low abundance of mature females. |
| Up to 24 pounds, and its legs can span 5 feet. Males get bigger than females, and they grow faster too. | up to 24 pounds with a leg span of 5 feet. Males grow faster and larger than females. (note: faq) |
| Only male crabs of a certain size may be harvested, and fishing is not allowed during mating and molting periods. Those rules help ensure that crabs can reproduce and replace the ones that are harvested | Only male crabs of a certain size may be harvested, and fishing is not allowed during mating and molting periods. These measures help ensure that crabs are able to reproduce and replace the ones that are harvested. (note: faq) |
| Managers set the rules by size, sex and season | managed according to the “three S’s”—size, sex, and season. (note: faq) |
| The claws are different shapes | Their claws are different shapes. (note: body) |
| Safety in numbers Pods can hold tens of thousands of crabs. | Pods can consist of tens of thousands of individual crabs and are likely an anti-predator strategy, similar to schooling in fish. |
| a large heavy-duty one crushes prey and a smaller one handles food delicately | One is a large, heavy-duty claw that is used for crushing prey, and the other smaller claw is used for more delicate handling of food items. (note: vibe.reason, same quote as the body) |
| Its two claws do different jobs | They have three pairs of walking legs and one pair of claws. Their claws are different shapes. (note: vibe.reason) |

## Falk-Petersen, Renaud & Anisimova (2011). Establishment and ecosystem effects of the alien invasive red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) in the Barents Sea–a review. ICES Journal of Marine Science.

https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fsq192

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| It was also introduced to the Barents Sea from the North Pacific in the 1960s, where a 2011 review called it invasive | Since its introduction to the Barents Sea from the North Pacific in the 1960s, the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) has become invasive. (note: 2011 is the review's publication year (the reference entry)) |
| Reduced benthic diversity and biomass, meaning less life on the seabed, have been recorded in invaded areas | Reduced benthic diversity and biomass have been registered in invaded areas. |
| Since being introduced there from the North Pacific in the 1960s, they have become invasive, according to a 2011 review | Since its introduction to the Barents Sea from the North Pacific in the 1960s, the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) has become invasive. (note: 2011 is the review's publication year (the reference entry)) |
| Areas they have moved into show less diversity and less biomass on the seabed | Reduced benthic diversity and biomass have been registered in invaded areas. (note: faq) |

## Long et al. (2013). Effects of Ocean Acidification on Juvenile Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) and Tanner Crab (Chionoecetes bairdi) Growth, Condition, Calcification, and Survival. PLoS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0060959

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| juveniles grew more slowly in acidified water, and survival dropped as the pH fell | survival decreased with pH ... both species grew slower in acidified water (note: faq) |
| Red king crabs in pH 7.5 water had 100% mortality after 95 days | 100% mortality of red king crabs occurring after 95 days in pH 7.5 water (note: faq) |
| As of 2013 there was no method to age a red king crab, so its maximum age was unknown, but likely at least 20 years | As there is no method to age red king crab, their maximum age is unknown, but is likely at least 20 years (note: the 'so' is the source's own 'As there is no method ... their maximum age is unknown') |

## Paralithodes camtschaticus (red king crab). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paralithodes_camtschaticus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Not Evaluated | IUCN Red List No special status (note: stats.conservationStatus only, not stated in body or FAQs; ADW lists no special IUCN status and GBIF's copy of the Red List holds no category for the name) |